Scottish Railway Preservation Society
Encyclopedia
The Scottish Railway Preservation Society is a charity, whose principal objective is the preservation and advancement of railway heritage in Scotland
. The Society was formed in 1961, and it has been actively collecting and displaying railway artifacts of Scottish significance ever since. The Society's headquarters is at Bo'ness
, in central Scotland.
(as an Accredited Museum) and of the Heritage Railway Association
(as a railway operator). It is managed and operated by volunteers (over 300 out of a membership in excess of 1,000).
The Society undertakes conservation, restoration, repair, maintenance, and (where appropriate) demonstration operation of railway artifacts ranging from small objects to carriages, wagons and locomotives. It is also active in educational and curatorial activities including research, interpretation and outreach.
, on which the historic collection is demonstrated in action, on Saturdays and Sundays from Easter until the end of October, and daily in July and August (intending visitors should check the website for details).
. SRPS Railtours uses carriages from the SRPS's large fleet of preserved carriages (currently consisting of Mark 1s
and a Mark 2 based in Bo'ness
) for its excursions. Since 1970, these trains have travelled over the railway network as far as Wick
and Penzance
and frequently travel over the scenic West Highland Line
and Kyle of Lochalsh Line
. The trains are crewed by drivers, guards and sometimes firemen from a train operating company, for example West Coast Railway Company
or DB Schenker
, with SRPS members working as volunteer stewards and catering staff.
Collections Trust.
is a Neilson
-built locomotive of 1876. Other gems include North British Railway
C Class
0-6-0
locomotive No.673 "Maude" and Caledonian Railway
0-4-4T
No.419.
s include examples of most of the main types which were introduced in Scotland by the British Railways Modernisation Plan.
-built Inter-City Diesel Multiple Unit
and a Glasgow Blue Train
Electric Multiple Unit
.
designs. The wagon collection numbers 89 vehicles, and demonstrates the range of traffic that the railways carried.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The Society was formed in 1961, and it has been actively collecting and displaying railway artifacts of Scottish significance ever since. The Society's headquarters is at Bo'ness
Bo'ness
Bo'ness, properly Borrowstounness, is a coastal town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on a hillside on the south bank of the Firth of Forth within the Falkirk council area, north-west of Edinburgh and east of Falkirk. At the 2001 census, Bo'ness had a resident population of 13,961...
, in central Scotland.
Overview
The Society is a member of Museums Galleries ScotlandMuseums Galleries Scotland
Museums Galleries Scotland, until 2008 the Scottish Museums Council, is a membership organisation offering support to museums and galleries throughout Scotland...
(as an Accredited Museum) and of the Heritage Railway Association
Heritage Railway Association
The Heritage Railways Association is an umbrella organisation representing the majority of the heritage and tourist railways, railway museums, steam centres and railway preservation groups in the UK and Ireland....
(as a railway operator). It is managed and operated by volunteers (over 300 out of a membership in excess of 1,000).
The Society undertakes conservation, restoration, repair, maintenance, and (where appropriate) demonstration operation of railway artifacts ranging from small objects to carriages, wagons and locomotives. It is also active in educational and curatorial activities including research, interpretation and outreach.
Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway
The Society operates the Bo'ness and Kinneil RailwayBo'ness and Kinneil Railway
The Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway is a Heritage railway in Falkirk, Scotland. It is operated by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society, and operates some 5 miles of track, virtually the entire Slamannan and Borrowstounness Railway that became part of the former North British Railway on the Firth...
, on which the historic collection is demonstrated in action, on Saturdays and Sundays from Easter until the end of October, and daily in July and August (intending visitors should check the website for details).
Scottish Railway Exhibition
Adjacent to Bo'ness Station, the Society operates the Scottish Railway Exhibition (open when the railway is operating), in which the collection is on show. Illustrated displays set out the history of railway construction and operation in Scotland, and restoration activities can be seen in the adjoining workshop. The Society has a specially comprehensive collection of Signal and Telegraph apparatus. Some of this is on display, along with a hands-on demonstration of safety interlocking.SRPS Railtours
An subsidiary company, SRPS Railtours, operates excursion trains on the main line. These excursion trains are mostly operated within or originating from ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. SRPS Railtours uses carriages from the SRPS's large fleet of preserved carriages (currently consisting of Mark 1s
British Railways Mark 1
British Railways Mark 1 was the family designation for the first standardised designs of railway carriages built by British Railways. Following nationalisation in 1948, BR had continued to build carriages to the designs of the "Big Four" companies , and the Mark 1 was intended to be the...
and a Mark 2 based in Bo'ness
Bo'ness
Bo'ness, properly Borrowstounness, is a coastal town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on a hillside on the south bank of the Firth of Forth within the Falkirk council area, north-west of Edinburgh and east of Falkirk. At the 2001 census, Bo'ness had a resident population of 13,961...
) for its excursions. Since 1970, these trains have travelled over the railway network as far as Wick
Wick
Wick may refer to:* David Wicks, fictional character from a British soap opera. Not to be confused with David Wicks, American comedian/actor.* Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp...
and Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
and frequently travel over the scenic West Highland Line
West Highland Line
The West Highland Line is considered the most scenic railway line in Britain, linking the ports of Mallaig and Oban on the west coast of Scotland to Glasgow. The line was voted the top rail journey in the world by readers of independent travel magazine Wanderlust in 2009, ahead of the iconic...
and Kyle of Lochalsh Line
Kyle of Lochalsh Line
The Kyle of Lochalsh Line is a primarily single track railway line in the Scottish Highlands, running from Dingwall to Kyle of Lochalsh. The population along the route is sparse in nature, but the scenery is beautiful and can be quite dramatic, the Kyle line having been likened to a symphony in...
. The trains are crewed by drivers, guards and sometimes firemen from a train operating company, for example West Coast Railway Company
West Coast Railway Company
West Coast Railways, also known as West Coast Railway Company, is a railway spot-hire company and charter train operator, based at Carnforth in Lancashire, on the site of the old Steamtown heritage depot...
or DB Schenker
DB Schenker
DB Schenker is a logistics company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG. The company, created by reorganisation and rebranding of various Deutsche Bahn subsidiaries, comprises a logistics division encompassing air, land and sea freight, and a rail division made up from a variety of...
, with SRPS members working as volunteer stewards and catering staff.
Preserved vehicles
There are over 250 vehicles at Bo'ness, of which 150 are accessioned to the museum collection and are owned by the Scottish Railway MuseumScottish Railway Museum
The Scottish Railway Museum is the development name of the Scottish Railway Preservation Society. It is based on the potential of the Society's large collection of railway artefacts to deliver education and enjoyment to visitors. The museum is based at the SRPS's headquarters at Bo'ness, and is the...
Collections Trust.
Steam locomotives
The oldest steam locomotiveSteam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
is a Neilson
Neilson and Company
Neilson and Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Glasgow, Scotland.The company was started in 1836 at McAlpine Street by Walter Neilson and James Mitchell to manufacture marine and stationary engines...
-built locomotive of 1876. Other gems include North British Railway
North British Railway
The North British Railway was a Scottish railway company that was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923.-History:...
C Class
NBR C Class
The NBR C Class is a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive designed by Matthew Holmes for freight work on the North British Railway. They were introduced in 1888 and had inside cylinders and Stephenson valve gear....
0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
locomotive No.673 "Maude" and Caledonian Railway
Caledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
0-4-4T
Caledonian Railway 439 Class
The Caledonian Railway 439 Class is a class of 0-4-4T steam locomotive. It was a development of the earlier 19 Class and 92 Class 0-4-4Ts and predecessor of the 431 Class. The 439 Class was introduced by John F...
No.419.
Diesel locomotives
Diesel locomotiveDiesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s include examples of most of the main types which were introduced in Scotland by the British Railways Modernisation Plan.
Multiple units
Also on site are a SwindonSwindon Works
Swindon railway works were built by the Great Western Railway in 1841 in Swindon in the English county of Wiltshire.-History:In 1835 Parliament approved the construction of a railway between London and Bristol. Its Chief Engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel.From 1836, Brunel had been buying...
-built Inter-City Diesel Multiple Unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
and a Glasgow Blue Train
British Rail Class 303
The British Rail Class 303 electric multiple units, also known as "Blue Train" units, were introduced in 1960 for the electrification of the North Clyde and the Cathcart Circle lines in Strathclyde...
Electric Multiple Unit
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
.
Carriage and wagon
The carriage collection is made up of 67 in total, including 15 built in or before 1923, six LNER coaches and five to LMSLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
designs. The wagon collection numbers 89 vehicles, and demonstrates the range of traffic that the railways carried.
Planned expansion
The Society has a major programme of planned future development, much of it new buildings in which to care for the collection and present it to the public. It is looking to expand its activities so as to increase public awareness and enjoyment of Scottish Railway heritage. The collection offers great development potential.External links
- Scottish Railway Preservation Society - official site